A durable set of eco-friendly dinnerware is a solid ingredient for a sustainably set table! But…
What is Sustainable Dinnerware?
Well looking for secondhand and vintage dinnerware is always a good start, whether that’s your grandmother’s porcelain dining sets or a pre-loved set of colorful plates and bowls at your local thrift store.
Another great place to look is estate sales. You can likely find full sets of dinnerware! If none of those options are available to you (or your just not finding something you love) you can check out a site like Etsy Used or Chairish.
*Important note on used dinnerware: the FDA started regulating the use of lead in dinnerware in 1971. So you might want to avoid any dinnerware produced before 1971, unless it’s just for display!
Here are some qualities to look for when shopping for new sustainable dinnerware:
Sustainably sourced materials: such as responsibly-harvested bamboo and recycled glass.
Quality: when it comes to products you’re going to potentially use and wash daily, durability is an important factor to keep in mind. Also consider your lifestyle! Perhaps glass and porcelain aren’t the best choices if you have little ones, or you tend to drop things often. (Guilty!!)
Usefulness: You might also want to consider if you will be hand-washing or dishwashing your dinnerware. Some materials are too fragile for the dishwasher, so consider if you’ll have the time (and willingness) to hand wash them all the time. Because part of sustainability is that you’ll actually use the products and they won’t just sit and collect dust!
Ethical production: this could look like transparent local manufacturing or artisan-made and fair trade. In any case, an ethical dinnerware brand would prioritize fair living wages for the workers, ensure safe healthy conditions (this includes no toxic chemicals used in production!) and go above and beyond to consider the wellbeing of the people who work for them and/or produce their products.
Ownership and Equity: this means looking at who owns and profits from the brands we’re supporting; if a brand is owned by a person of color, it will be indicated in their description below (BIPOC-owned stands for Black, Indigenous, Person of Color-owned and WOC-owned stands for Woman of Color-owned).
Your Values: you may have other elements you look for in a brand, such as traditional craft preservation. Or perhaps it’s really important to you that a brand is giving back to their local community.
Where to Find Eco-Friendly Dinnerware
The eco-friendly tableware and sustainable dinnerware brands featured below meet at least one (though most of them meet several) of the above criteria.
In this roundup, you’ll find sustainable pottery (including ceramic plates, sustainable mugs, and more), recycled glassware, artisan-made ethical dinnerware, and everything in between to suit your needs. I hope that this variety of brands will help you set the table, whether that’s for fancy dinner parties, Friday night pizza, or something in between.
This article features affiliates and partners. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict standards for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Zungleboo
Lightweight, shatterproof, and made from corn starch + bamboo fiber, Zungleboo creates family-friendly and eco-friendly dinnerware!
Their versatile plant-based bowls and plates are also dishwasher and microwave safe, making them easy to care for no matter how busy mealtime is. As Zungleboo writes on their website, their sustainable dinnerware is “from real plants, for real life”.
Categories: Bowls, Plates
Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials, WOC-Owned
Price Range: $$
Use code CONSCIOUS15 for 15% off!
2. Our Place
From the same brand that brought us their cult-favorite Always Pan, comes a gorgeous collection of non-toxic dinnerware and sustainable pottery.
Our Place has hand-painted main plates and side bowls made with recycled and virgin porcelain ceramic and dinner glasses handmade from recycled glass and colored with natural dyes.
Categories: Glassware, Bowls, Plates
Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials, Gives Back, WOC-Owned
Price Range: $$
3. Fable
Prioritizing timelessness and sustainability, Fable sources quality materials and simple designs that last the test of time.
The eco-minded dinnerware company partners with makers in Portugal, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US that use conscious practices, like ethical employment, craftsmanship, and low-waste practices (like sourcing recycled clay).
Categories: Dinnerware, Drinkware, Cutlery, Serveware, and Decor
Conscious Qualities: Quality Craftsmanship, Low Waste Practices, Responsibly Sourced
Price Range: $$$
4. East Fork
East Fork’s ethically-made dinnerware and tableware is next level — their gorgeous sustainable ceramics, glassware, mugs, and other goods are exquisitely designed and built for durability.
Committed to creating local manufacturing jobs, all of East Fork’s eco-friendly pottery is made in Asheville, North Carolina and is working to center equity and inclusion throughout their business.
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Cups, Drinking Glasses, Flatware/Silverware,
Conscious Qualities: Locally-Made, Transparent Production
Price Range: $$$$
5. Bibol
Born and raised in Vietnam, Bibol founder Little Moon returned to her homeland in adulthood to found a company that could offer fair employment for the craftspeople in an ecologically responsible way. Today, Bibol’s elegant bamboo bowls, plates, servers, and tumblers are all handcrafted from sustainably-harvested bamboo and colored with natural pigments by artisans in Vietnam.
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Cups, Dishes, Salad Bowls and Servers
Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials, Ethical Production, WOC-Owned
Price Range: $$$
6. Urban Natural
Green home retailer Urban Natural has stunning eco-friendly tabletop goods from leading contemporary brands like Farmhouse Pottery and Ethnicraft.
The brands Urban Natural curates source natural materials, use time-honored processes, and take quality craftsmanship seriously.
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Cups & Mugs, Flatware
Conscious Qualities: Artisan Goods, Natural Materials, Locally and Ethically Made
Price Range: $$ – $$$
7. Ekobo
Ekobo’s colorful eco-friendly dinnerware is available in a variety of colors and sizes, perfect for mixing and matching to create a unique sustainable table setting for any space.
The eco-friendly dinnerware from Ekobo is made from upcycled bamboo and the result is durable, dishwasher-safe, and non-toxic diningware.
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Cups, Trays, Baby Diningware
Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials
Price Range: $$
8. Middle Kingdom
Rooted in rich heritage and honoring traditional artistry, Middle Kingdom’s porcelain sustainable dishes is made with exceptional care in the ancient kiln city of Jingdezhen, China.
To ensure they’re producing only the highest quality sustainable pottery, every artisan begins their time at Middle Kingdom in training as an apprentice. Each artisan earns fair, well-above-average salaries.
Categories: Plates and Bowls
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, WOC-owned, Craft Preservation
Price Range: $$$
9. Ames
Founded by native Colombian Ana María Calderon Kayser, Ames is an artisan-made home decor brand collaborating with local Colombian craftspeople to bring their handmade goods to a broader market.
Each exceptionally designed and richly hued piece is made using traditional techniques and natural materials like palm fibers and terracotta.
Categories: Plates, Trays, Placemats
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Craft Preservation, WOC-Owned
Price Range: $$$$
10. The Bright Angle
At first glance, The Bright Angle has stunning porcelain dinnerware — and when you look deeper, the story behind the products is even more beautiful.
Each piece — from the brand’s sustainable mugs to timeless vases — is made by makers earning living wages in Asheville, North Carolina. And the brand sources their raw natural materials for their porcelain locally in North Carolina too.
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Mugs, Olive Oil Bottles
Conscious Qualities: Handcrafted, Locally Made, Ethical Production
Price Range: $$$
11. Fable New York
Sustainable dishes that add a pop of color to your table! Made from organic bamboo, non-GMO corn starch, and food-grade melamine binding, Fable New York’s eco-friendly dinnerware is as durable as it is aesthetically pleasing.
Plus, their colorful bamboo plates are dishwasher safe (though not microwave safe).
Categories: Plates, Bowls, Tumblers
Conscious Qualities: Locally-Made, Transparent Production
Price Range: $$
More Guides For An Eco-Friendly Kitchen:
9 Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Tablecloths
Your Sustainable and Zero Waste Kitchen Guide
The Best Zero Waste Food Storage Options
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11 Ethical & Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Brands To Set Your Table Sustainably
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions
Subscribe to receive transcripts by email. Read along with this episode.
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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on December 22, 2025.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-okhtapus-cofounder-stewart-sarkozy-banoczy-accelerates-ocean-solutions/
Today’s quote comes from Pope John Paul II’s message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1990. He wrote, “Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.”
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: A Serious Look at Modern Lifestyle appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-take-serious-look-lifestyle/
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Making Billions of Square Feet of Commercial Space Sustainable with CBRE’s Rob Bernard
The built environment, particularly office buildings other urban facilities, are responsible for 39% of the global energy-related emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. About a third of that impact comes from the initial construction of a building and the other two-thirds is produced over the lifetime of a building by heating, cooling, and providing power to the occupants. Our guest today is leading a key battle to reduce the impact of the built environment. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation with Rob Bernard, Chief Sustainability Officer at CBRE Group Inc., which manages more than $145 billion of commercial buildings, providing logistics, retail, and corporate office services across more than than 100 countries.
Rob cut his sustainability teeth at Microsoft, as its Chief Environmental Strategist for 11 years, as the company was developing its world-leading approach and collaborating with other tech giants to lobby for policy and funding to accelerate progress. He discusses CBRE’s Sustainability Solutions & Services for commercial building owners, as well as the accelerating progress for renewables, carbon tracking, and economic, health, and lifestyle benefits of living lightly on the planet. You can learn more about CBRE and its sustainability services at cbre.com
Take a few minutes to learn more about making construction and building operations more sustainable:
- Earth911 Podcast: Cityzenith’s Michael Jansen Uses Digital Twins to Reinvent Urban Planning
- Earth911 Podcast: Concrete.ai CEO Alex Hall On Mixing Embodied Carbon Out Of the Built Environment
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Lowering Construction Impacts With Green Badger’s Tommy Linstroth
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular Economy
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Autodesk Spacemaker Aides Building Efficiency With AI Insights
- How to Assess Your Business’ Environmental and Social Impacts
- Passive House Design: Changing the Future of New Home Construction
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube.
Editor’s Note: This podcast originally aired on April 15, 2024.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Making Billions of Square Feet of Commercial Space Sustainable with CBRE’s Rob Bernard appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-making-billions-of-square-feet-of-commercial-space-sustainable-with-cbres-rob-bernard/
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